Scandals that resonate with the public have got to be simple for people to understand. Bush just made this real simple.
In Hollywood, when a movie is being pitched to a studio exec for initial development, often even before the screenwriting process begins in earnest, the producer has got to come up with a succinct description of the movie in 25 words or less -- a concise mental picture that will let the exec know how he can sell the flick. "Emotionally distant, reclusive and poor young kid from South Boston has unusual genius that he must reconcile with his troubled life" (Good Will Hunting) -- Ok, you get the picture.
The fact is the American people can't follow something that is overly complicated or sophisticated. We work hard. We try and raise our kids. At the end of the day, we don't have a lot of energy to get into the specifics of things not perceived to directly affect those two objectives.
This has always had a big impact on politics. Namely, that scandals which emerge from time to time are only going to impact people based on whether or not they are simple for people to understand.
Can they be pitched the American People in 25 words or less, without losing their power? Can they meet the Hollywood test?
The Attorney General scandal can not. Its surely possible assuming a high degree of knowledge of the US Attorney's Office, but that is something that the vast majority of Americans don't have. This doesn't minimize the scandal, but it does make it easier for the administration to get away with it. People tune out.
The 180 degree opposite of this is the Mark Foley Scandal. Foley was a heinous thing -- but compared to the US Attorney's scandal, I don't think it jeopardized our democracy to nearly the same degree. And yet, the public really grasped it and I think it had an effect on the midterms. Say what you want about the salaciousness of our culture, but "Kiddie sex offender congressman is enabled by congressional leadership" is an easy thing to sell.
Libby was a hard scandal for the public to wrap its mind around. It was always tough for the Democrats to connect A to B for the American people without getting caught up in who leaked what, what meeting took place when, which journalist heard what when, etc.
But Bush just made this scandal unbelievably simple.
"Bush commutes jail sentence of convicted administration flunky who lied on his behalf"
Thats will play in Peoria.
Its the time for the Democrats to find their courage, because now they have the soundbite scandal to nail these bastards to the wall.